Street indicating device for vehicles



- Dec. 15, 1945.

- H. c; "SMITH Fi led, Dec. 25, 1940 STREET fINDICA TING DEVICE FOR- VEHICLES v 7 She ets-Sheet 1 Dec. 18,1945. H. c. SMITH STREET INDiCATINQ DEVICE FOR VEHICLES File d Dec. 23, .1940

'7 Si zeets-Sheet 2 fizforzzgjS STREET I ND ICATING DEVICE FOR VEHICLES Filed Dec. 23, 1940 7 sheets sheet 3.

Iii/6 72250 7. Cifimzi/a 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 I H. c. SMITH I 1::1L'IT File d Dec .23, 1940 STREET INDICATING DEVICE FOR VEHICLES m /y WW W (M8. 1 18mg Dec. '18, 1945 Dec. 18, 1945'. I H, c, sMlTH v 2,391,355 STREET INDICATING DEVICE FOR VEHICLES Filed Dec. 25, 1940 7 Shets-Sheet 5 x t s 5 127C 12 1/6 a 72116725075.- 87 jzz gk CiDmzf/z;

Dec. 18, 1945. H; G SMITH 2,391,355

STREET INDICATING DEVICE FOR VEHICLES Filed Dad. 25, 1940. 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Invenivr Dec. 18, 1945. H. cysmm-l STREET INDICATING DEVICE FOR VEHICLES Filed Dec. 25, 1940 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 wfr Q Patented Dec. 18, 1.945

U TATES PATENT OFFICE STREET INDICATING DEVICE FOR VEHICLES Hugh 0. Smith, Chicago. 111. Application December 23, 1940, Serial No. 371,330 1 Claim. .(Cl. 40-57) This invention relates to improvements in street indicating devices for-vehicles and particularly for passenger carrying vehicles, and has for its object to provide a new'and improved device of this description. 4 w

The invention has as a further object to provide a street indicating device located on a'vehicle, having the street names located on a flexible piece mounted on rollers, with means for keeping the flexible piece tight at all times. The invention has as a further object to provide a street indicating device for vehicles where the names of the streets are on a flexible strip which passes around non-circular rollers, preferably hexagon shape, about which the flexible strip is wound.

The invention has as a further object to provide a street indicating device located on the inside of a vehicle which automatically indicates to the people in the vehicle the streets as the vehicle approaches such streets, so that the people in the vehicle will know just where they are and just when it is time to leave the vehicle. The invention has as a further object to provide a street indicating device located on the inside of a vehicle, with means for'operating it electrically, mechanically or manually. The invention has as a further objectto provide a street indicating device for vehicles which can be easily and quickly transferred from one end of the vehicle to the other. 7

The invention has particularly pointed out scription. I

Referring now to thedrawingsr Fig. 1 is a sectional view of an electrically driven vehicle, the section being taken just under the roof showing the street indicating device in posiother objects which are more in the accompanying detion, the seats and motormans equipment being.

omitted;

Fig. 2 is-a sectional view taken on line 22 of K the device shown in taken on line 'I--| Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8-8 of Fig.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on line 99 of Fig. 5;.

Fig. 10 is a sectional View taken on line l0'-Ill of-Fig. 8;

' Fig. 11 is a sectional view taken on line ll-ll of Fig. 5; I

Fig. 12 is a View showing the electric make and break mechanism for the electric motor which drives the rollers upon which the flexible strip with the names of the streets is wound;

' Fig. 13 is a sectional view taken on line l3l3 of Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is a sectional view taken on line I 4l4 of Fig. 5; I Y

Fig. 15 is a sectional view taken on line l5-l5 I of Fig. 14;

Fig. 16 is a diagrammatic view showing the electric circuits;

Fig. 17 is a plan view showing a modified construction showingthe circuit making and breaking device used in connection with the bow type of trolley;

Fig; 18 is a sectional view taken on line |8-I8 of Fig. 17; r

Fig.v 19 is a sectional View taken on line |9-l9 of Fig. 18;

Fig."20 is a plan view, with parts removed, showing a modified construction of circuit making and breaking device for use in connection with third rail systems;

Fig. 21 is a sectional View of Fig. 20.-

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several figures.

.In Figs. 1 to 16 inclusive I have shown one taken on line 21-21 form of the invention as used in electrically driven vehicles. In this construction the body I of the vehicle is provided at the ends with the cross members? and 3. The street indicat n device is indicated generally at 4 as being mounted upon the cross member 2 so as to be in full view of the people in the vehicle. The mechanism of the street indicating device is provided withanjenclosing box 5 which is supported at the rear with the supporting members 6 which are hooked over a supporting bar 1 attached to the cross members 2 and. 3. These supporting members'fi are preferably located near the top of the box. The bottom portion of the box is provided with one or more'projections 8 which engage either the cross member 2 or the cross memher 3. depe n upon which one of the c oss members the box is supported.

In the construction shown in these figures there is an electrically operated shifting mechanism for shifting the member having the street names thereon to cause such names to be exposed through the opening 9 in the front of the box. In order to actuate this mechanism I provide a means for completing the circuit through the shifting mechanism at the proper point along the way. In Figs. 3 and 4 I have shown a construction to be usedin connection with a trolley wheel l which runs along a'trolley wire 1 I. Upon the arm [2 supporting the trolley wheel, there is provided a switch having contacts l3 and f4 which are connected to conductors l5 and 46 which extend along the trolley support to suitable outletsor plug sockets I So and [6a in the vehicle. The contact I4 is mounted upon an arm H', pivoted at l8. Associated with the arm 4-! is a switch actuating member I 9 which is connected with an arm 29 pivoted at 2!. The switch actuating member is held in the position shown in Fig. 3 to hold the contacts f3 and I 4 apart, by the spring 22 There is a spring 23 associated with the switch arm I! which acts to normally keep thecontacts l3 and I4 separated. The arm projects through an opening 24 in the switch casing 25. At each street intersection there is provided "a switch actuating member 26 for the switch on the trolley arm. When the trolley wheel moving along the trolley wire reaches the proper position for indicating 'the proper street, the pivoted arm '20 engages the switch actuating member 26 "and is moved so that the switch actuating member 19 moves the switch arm I! to bring contacts l3 and. [4 together to complete the circuit. Thiscompletion of the circuit is momentary only, for when the pivoted arm 20 passes theswitchactuating member, the spring 22 moves it back to its initial position to maintain the contacts -l3 and l-4 separated.

The street indicating mechanism and the shifting mechanism are located within the box 5. The names of the streets or other data it is desired to use are placed on a flexible strip 21 which is wound upon a roller 28 and which as the vehicles move along, is gradually unwound from the roller 28 onto the roller 29. The roller '29 is preferably a non-circular roller such as a hexagon roller, having fiat sides 30. As the roller '29 is moved, these flat sides are successively exposed through the opening 9 in the box, which opening is preferably provided with a glass 31. The indicating data on the strip 21 are so positioned that-one of them is always opposite a flat side as the roller 29 is turned, so as to be exposed to the people in the vehicle through the glass 3 I.

The rollers 28 and 29 are actuated in any desired manner. As herein shown they are actuated by-an electromagnetic device, shown here as an electric motor 32. This motor drives a belt 33 which passes around a pulley 34 associated with the roller 29. Means is provided for actuating the roller 29 to move it a sufficient amount at each actuation to bring the flat sides subce'ss'ively opposite the opening 9 and successively display the names "of Y the different streets through this opening. The pulley 34 is 'p-refer-,

ably a toothed wheel and the belt 33 is preferably a link belt which works on these teeth, so

that the movement of the roner 29 will be a specific accurate movement at each actuation. The indicating data 35 are shown in Fig. '5 in the particular form of the device herein illustrated. The pulley 341s mounted on a shaft 3'6 mounted upon a support 31, see Fig. 10. There is a pulley 38 on this shaft. There is another shaft 39 mounted upon the support 31, having a pulley 40 thereon. The belt 41 connects these two pulleys together. The pulley 34 is loosely mounted on the shaft 36 so as to freely rotate thereon, but so as to be slidable longitudinally therealong, and is provided with a clutch member 42. The roller 29 is securely mounted on the shaft 36. A clutch member 43 is connected to said shaft and cooperates with the clutch member 42. *I'heclutch member '42 is provided with a forked controlling member 44, the fork of which works in a groove 45 of the clutch member. These clutch members may be of any desired form. As herein shown the clutch member 43 is provided with projections 46 which fit into openings 41 in the clutch member 42. The clutch members are movedinto-engagement and held normally in engagement by a spring 48. When the clutch members-are-in engagement, the roller 29 is operatively connected with the motor =32.

"The clutc'h members are disconnected in any desired-manner. -As herein shown, there is -a rod 49 which is connected to the forked controlling member 44. This rod extends along the inside of the box 5 and has a-bear-ing 59 at the other end thereof and is preferably provided with an enlarged head it. -A threaded actuating member 52 passes through a threaded opening in the part '53. The actuating member 52 has a thumb-piece 54 on the outside of the box, by means of which it is rotated. By rotating this thumb-piece in'one direction therod 49 is moved-so as to move the forked controlling member 44 to the right, Fig. 10, and disconnect the two clutch members .42 and 43, thus disconnecting the roller '29 from the motor 32. The forked controlling member 44 slides alongag-u-iding rpin'44a during its movement. The shaft 36 projects through a bearing '55 in the support -58. This shaft 33 may be actuatedmanual-ly'by means-of a crank 51 having a handle 56, the crank and handle being outside of the box 5. By this means, when the clutch members are disconnected, the roller '29 may be moved by hand so as to move the "strip 21 with the street names thereon to any desired position.

The shaft 39 is a short shaft. The roller *28 is mounted upon and fixed to a shaft 59 which is'connected with the shaft 39 by a suitable connecting and releasing device, consisting of the clutch members 60 and GL-see Fig. 14. The end of the shaft 59 projects into a central opening in the shaft 39. In the particular construction shown the clutch member 60 is provided with a series ofprojections 6-2 fixed thereto. The clutch member 6| has a series of movable projections 63 which extend through holes in the clutch membar and which are provided withsprmgs 64 which normally press them toward the projections 62. The projections 62-have at their ends beveled faces 65 and the projections 63 have at their'ends beveled faces 6-6. The clutch member 69 is fastened to the shaft 59 by a set screw 61 and the clutch member '6! is fastened to the shaft 39 by aset screw 58. I

When the shaft 59 is rotated in one direction, the ends of the projections 62 and 33 which pverlap engage each other. so that the roller i3 is rotatedsee Figs. 14 and 15. When the shaft 59 is rotated in the opposite direction, the beveled faces of the projections engage each other and the projections are moved away from the projections 62, so that the clutch member 64 passes the clutch member 60 without connecting therewith and without rotating the roller 28. When the projections pass each other the-spring 64 again moves the projections 63 so that they will be in the path of the projections 62.- The shaft 59. is provided at the other end with a similar clutch to which I have applied similar reference numerals with the exponentmby means of which it is connected and disconnected to a short shaft 69; The end of the roller shaft .59 extends into an opening in the shaft 69. The roller shaft 59 and the, roller 28 are thus held-inposition by these two short shafts 39 and 89 and the supports 31 and 56. There is a pulley I on the shaft 69 and a pulley II on the shaft 36, these pulleys being connected by a belt I2. I

The electric motor is controlled in any desired manner. As herein shown the shaft 36 is provided with a notched wheel I3, see Fig. 11, having on its periphery notches I4. In proximity to this notched wheel is an electric switch device mounted in a casing I5. -Mounted in the casing I is a member I6 preferably provided at its end with a roller II which engages the periphery of the notched wheel I3, which roller is pressed toward the notched wheel I3 by the spring I8. The

with a plurality of contacts 89, 90, 9|, 92, 93, 94

and 95. The contacts 94 and 95 are connected by conductors 96 and 91 with the conductors 98 and 99, to which conductors I5 and I6,'connected with the switch on the trolley, are connected. The contacts 89, 90 and 9| are connected together by the conductor I00. The contacts 92 and 93 are connected together by the conductor WI. The contacts 9| and 92 are connected to the source of current on the vehicle by the conductors I02 and I03.

The plug 88 is provided with a series of con- I tacts I04, I85, I86, I01, I08, I09 and H0. The

contact I04 is connected by a conductor I I I with the magnet H2, connected by conductor H2b with contact I08. This'energizes the magnet H2 and it moves its armature H3 down to release the member H4. This member has a projection H5 which engages a lever H6 pivoted at H1 and provided with contact H8 opposed to a contact H9. The movement of the member H4 releases the lever H6 and the spring I20 moves the contact H8 into contact with the contact H9. Contact H8 is connected by conductor .|2| with the motor 32. Contact H9 is connected by conductor I23 with the conductor I24, which is connected with contact I09. The electric motor 32 is connected to conductor I25, which is connected to contact I01. There is a switch I26 to make or break the circuit through these conductors. The rotation of the motor causes roller 29 to the glass 3| and it also rotates the notched wheel I3 and the roller I1 drops into one of the notches rotate to bring the next street number opposite conductor 86 to conductor I28, and thence by conductor .I29'to contact I06." The solenoid I 2! is then energized and 'itmoves the lever I30 so that the member I2'Ib moves the member H4 until 1thecontacts H8 and H9 are separated and the holding member |3I on the member H4 engages the holding member I32 on the lever H3 so as to hold the contacts open. This stops the motor 32. The spring I33 holds the holding member I32 in position to engage the holding member. I3 I. When the plug 88 is connected with the socket- |5a these circuitsare completed ,by the switch actuating member 26 actuating the switch on the arm I2 supporting the trolley wheel,

I so that the roller 29 is moved before thestreet to.

be designated is. reached so as to move the flexible I strip 21 to bring the next street name opposite the glass 3|. in thecasing 5.

When it is'desired to move the vehiclein the opposite direction, as in .the return trip, the casing 5-. with its mechanism is transferred .to the other end of the vehicle, as shownin dotted lines in Fig. 1, and the plug I34 is inserted in the socket I 6a on the vehicle. This plug and socket are similar to the ones hereinbefore described for the outgoing, trip and .I have given the parts and the conductors the same reference numerals with the exponent a. This plug and socket controls the mechanism hereinbefore described for starting and stopping the motor on the return trip and this control is accomplished by the notched wheel I3 and similar partsshown in Fig. 11 anddiagrammatically in Fig. 16, and I have given these parts similar reference numerals with the exponent a.

The plugs 88 and|34 have extensions 52) and 50, see Fig. 1. The plug sockets I51: and Ifia are arranged farther away from the casing 5 at one end of the vehicle than at the other and the extensions 5b and 5c are made of different lengths so that the wrong plug cannot be inserted in the wron socket.

In Figs. 17, 18 and 19 I have shown a circuit making and breaking device used in connection with the bow type of trolley. This type of trolley has two sets of pivoted arms I 35 and I36, pivoted to the'top of the vehicle, see Figs. 17 and 18, and which have a trolley engaging cross member I31.

Connected with this cross member I3! is a circuit tacts MI and I42 insulated from each other and V the 'member I39 has the contacts I43 and I44 electrically connected together. These contacts are normally held separated by the springs I45 and I46. There is a pivoted switch actuating member I4'I attached to the trolley wire II which engages the insulating member I39 as the vehicle moves along and moves the contacts I 43 and I44 into contact with contact MI and I42 so as to complete the circuit across said contacts momentarily and through the conductors I5 and I6 leading to sockets I5a and Mia on the vehicle. This switch actuating member I41 is moved about its pivot I48 by the parts on the trolley and after these parts pass it, the spring I49 moves it back to its initial actuating position. The contacts MI and I42 are connected to the conductors I5and I6 which lead to the sockets |5a and Mia on the vehicle.

InFigs. 20 and 21 I have shown a circuit making and breaking device for use on a third rail construction. "Inthis construction the third rail I!) is provided with a switch actuating member -I-5I which is connected therewith-and --insura;ted therefrom by the insulatin material ['52. Located "on the vehicle is a circuit mak ng and breaking :device mcunted ina easing 15a attached to the vehicle in any desired manner, as h'y'the flexible devices I 54. This circuit :makin and breaking device is provided with contacts I55 "and 'I'56 which are attached to conductors I'S and 16 leading to the sockets I 5a a'nd 16a on "the Weh-icle. These contacts are spring contacts and are insulated. from the casing 153. There is a pivoted lever 151 in the casing which'has a i-part I58 engaging the spring I59 connectedwith the contact 155. A spring 160 normally holds this part'in position so that the contacts are separated. As the vehicle moves along the z -ivoted lever 15'! engages the switch actuating member I51 and ismoved so as to bring "the contacts 155 and 4-56 together to complete't'he "circuit from the rail I56 through this lever I51 and through the conductors I5 and I6. I

In Fig. -16 the contact I68 is connected -by a. conductor ll 2b with the magnet H2 and the contact [0811 is connected by a conductor I-I'2ba with the magnet 112. There is a spring I62 which moves the member I211) back to its initial position,

When the 'electrom'agne't H2 is energized and withdraws the armature I13 with its holding member I32 from contact withthe holding member I3 I, the member H4 isrotated by-the spring I-I Ia, the member 'II Ib stopping against the member I211). The member I2Ib has Jaspring IZ'IcQto withdraw it to the position shown in Fig- 12.

There are'pushbuttons I63 and I63'at opposite ends of the vehicle connected tothe conductors 96*and 91 and 96a and 91a so that'the operator of the vehicle can operate the indicators by hand by means of these push bu't'tons the event -any of the various "parts -fail 'to autom'ajticallly perform this function.

his shown in Fig. T6 the conductors -!8 and "99 run the entire length of the vehicle and have plugs 96a and 89a and sockets -98!) an'dBBb at their ends, so that two or more vehicles of a train may be electrically connected and the indicator in each vehile of the train will be operated by one switch on the outside of the vehicle.

Iclaim:

A street indicating device for vehicles comprising two rollers, a, flexible strip passing over said rollers, having thereon the names of the streets along the path of the vehicle, a -casing in 'whichsa'id rollers are rotatably mounted, a 'street'name reading window in said casing, one of "said rollers "being located opposite said window, a, single motor for actuating said rollers located in said casing, supports for said "casing at opposite ends of the vehicle, two plugs provided with connections for connecting the motor in "circuit, two plug sockets,-one at *each end of the vehicle with which one of said plugs isc'onnected when the casing is at one end of the vehicle and with which the other plug is connected when the casing is at the other end o'f the vehicle, two separate switches in said casing for said'motorcircuit, asingle notched whelin said casing operatively connected with said motor so-asto'b'e movedthere'by, and a separate actuating member "for each of said-switches engaging the -'periphery of thenotched wheel so as to actuate one of said switches when the easing is at one end-0f the vehicle and so 'as to actuate the other of said switches when the casing is at the other'entlof the vehicle.

HUGHC. SMITH. 

